We invite you to attend a Delta Rice Workshop on Wednesday, August 23rd from 10:00am to noon on Staten Island (23319 N. Staten Island Rd., Thornton). The workshop is collaboratively supported by Fish Friendly Farming, the Delta Conservancy, Conservation Farms and Ranches, the CA Land Stewardship Institute, the Regional Water Board, and UC Cooperative Extension. Organizers will demonstrate the use of a recirculation pump in rice production, with a discussion of potential financial support programs. Additionally, there will be a presentation on The Nature Conservancy's Bird Returns Program, and I will provide an update on UCCE research in Delta rice.

The agenda is below, and more information is available from the attached flyer. CDFA INMP (1.0) and CCA (1.0 SW, 0.5 CM) continuing education credits have been approved. We hope to see you at the meeting!

Agenda:

Introductions

Fish Friendly Farming and Delta Conservancy/Regional Board funding - Laurel Marcus, FFF

Recirculation Pump System - Jerred Dixon, Conservation Farms and Ranches

Can funding programs such as SWEEP be used for recirculations pumps and pipelines - Laurel Marcus, FFF

Bird Returns Program - Julia Barfield, TNC

Research Activities in Delta Rice - Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, UCCE

UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension will host the UC Dry Bean Field Day on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 9:30am to 11:30am. The field day will begin along Bee Biology Road on the UC Davis campus. The agenda is pasted below, and a downloadable version is attached to the bottom of this post. DPR (1.0) and CCA (1.0 Crop Management, 1.0 Pest Management) continuing education credits have been approved. Thanks for your interest, and we hope to see you at the field day!

Agenda:

9:30am     Welcome and introductions: Christine Diepenbrock and Antonia Palkovic, UC Davis; Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, UC Cooperative Extension

9:35am     How can we further improve lima bean? A project funded by the USDA to improve breeding resources: Paul Gepts, UC Davis

9:50am     Walk through and discussion of lima breeding material: Antonia Palkovic and Christine Diepenbrock, UC Davis

10:00am   Field diagnostics – bean pest identification and management: Sarah Light, Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, Nick Clark, UC Cooperative Extension

10:30am   Travel to Veg Crops location (38.534222, -121.782222)

10:35am   Blackeye varietal improvement - update on new pest-resistant varieties: Bao-Lam Huynh, UC Riverside

10:55am   Results from round one of “speed breeding”, and testing nutritional alongside agronomic traits in limas: Christine Diepenbrock, UC Davis

11:00am   From farm to (robot) stomach: what are the trait profiles of California beans after harvest?: Tayah Bolt, UC Davis

11:05am   Screening for drought resilience in common and tepary beans: Matthew Gilbert, Tom Buckley, Troy Magney, Paul Gepts, Chris Wong, Antonia Palkovic, Travis Parker, UC Davis

11:20am   Evaluating productivity and quality of cowpea and interspecific common/tepary bean in Davis and Parlier (contrasting temperatures): Sassoum Lo, Jonny Berlingeri, UC Davis

11:25am   Developing low-cost phone apps/drone and rover platforms to measure agronomic traits: Earl Ranario, Heesup Yun, Vivian Vuong, UC Davis

11:30am   Discussion and evaluation

UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension will host the UC Dry Bean Field Day on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 9:30am to 11:30am. The field day will begin along Bee Biology Road on the UC Davis campus. The agenda is pasted below, and a downloadable version is attached to the bottom of this post. DPR continuing education (1.0) is pending. CCA continuing education credits have been approved (1.0 Crop Management, 1.0 Pest Management). Thanks for your interest, and we hope to see you at the field day!

Agenda:

9:30am     Welcome and introductions: Christine Diepenbrock and Antonia Palkovic, UC Davis; Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, UC Cooperative Extension

9:35am     How can we further improve lima bean? A project funded by the USDA to improve breeding resources: Paul Gepts, UC Davis

9:50am     Walk through and discussion of lima breeding material: Antonia Palkovic and Christine Diepenbrock, UC Davis

10:00am   Field diagnostics – bean pest identification and management: Sarah Light, Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, Nick Clark, UC Cooperative Extension

10:30am   Travel to Veg Crops location (38.534222, -121.782222)

10:35am   Blackeye varietal improvement - update on new pest-resistant varieties: Bao-Lam Huynh, UC Riverside

10:55am   Results from round one of “speed breeding”, and testing nutritional alongside agronomic traits in limas: Christine Diepenbrock, UC Davis

11:00am   From farm to (robot) stomach: what are the trait profiles of California beans after harvest?: Tayah Bolt, UC Davis

11:05am   Screening for drought resilience in common and tepary beans: Matthew Gilbert, Tom Buckley, Troy Magney, Paul Gepts, Chris Wong, Antonia Palkovic, Travis Parker, UC Davis

11:20am   Evaluating productivity and quality of cowpea and interspecific common/tepary bean in Davis and Parlier (contrasting temperatures): Sassoum Lo, Jonny Berlingeri, UC Davis

11:25am   Developing low-cost phone apps/drone and rover platforms to measure agronomic traits: Earl Ranario, Heesup Yun, Vivian Vuong, UC Davis

11:30am   Discussion and evaluation

The annual UC Davis Alfalfa and Small Grains Field Day will take place on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at the Department of Plant Sciences Field Facility (2400 Hutchison Drive, Davis, CA 95616). Registration opens at 7:30am, and the wagons leave for the field at 8am. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Lunch is sponsored by the CA Crop Improvement Association, and continuing education credits will be available. Directions are as follows: 

The field day is located on Hutchison Drive, just west of Davis. Take the Hwy. 113 exit north from I-80, or Hwy. 113 south from Woodland. Exit west on Hutchison Drive. Take a right at the first roundabout, a left at the second roundabout, and the field headquarters is about ¼ mile down in a clump of trees and buildings on the left. 

The agenda is as follows:

8:10   Alfalfa Breeding Efforts at UC Davis - Charlie Brummer

8:20   Choosing Varieties for Pest Resistance - Dan Putnam

8:30   IPM and Importance of Management of Insect Resistance in Alfalfa - Ian Grettenberger

8:40   Test your Weed IQ - Identification of Weeds - Brad Hanson

8:55   Use of Compost to Improve Soils in Alfalfa - Michelle Leinfelder-Miles

9:05   Sorghum Projects for Forage and Biofuels - Jackie Atim

9:15   Improving Agronomic and Grain Quality Traits in Sorghum under Well-watered and Drought Conditions - Christine Diepenbrock

9:35   Flood or Drought? Alfalfa Strategies for Coping with California's Future - Dan Putnam

9:45   Teff as an Alternative Summer Forage Crop - Dan Putnam

9:50   Overhead Irrigation Technologies for Improved Efficiency - Isaya Kisekka

10:05  Updates from UC Davis Small Grains Breeding Program - Jorge Dubcovsky

10:20  Effects of Genotype and Environment on Productivity and Quality in California Malting Barley - Maany Ramanan

10:30  California Grain Foundation and Research on Food Use of Triticale - George Fohner

10:40  Small Grain Research Update from Tulelake - Rob Wilson

10:55  Evaluating Digestate and Hydrolysate as Alternative N Sources in Small Grains - Valentina Roel

11:05  Biosolids as a N Fertilizer Source in California Small Grains - Konrad Mathesius

11:15  Helping Farms in the Central Coast get N Scavenging Credits for Cereal Cover Crops - Eric Brennan

11:25  DIY In-field Plant Tissue Tests to Determine N Sufficiency in Wheat - Karla Estrada

11:30  Updates on Small Grain Research and Production in the Central Valley - Mark Lundy

11:45  Tour Small Grain Variety Trials

12:10  Lunch

1:20 Small Grain Breeding Field Day